About The Artist

Hello! I am a fine arts painter, with a BFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. My primary painting medium is oil and alkyd, and mostly I work in a representational style. My greatest challenge as a painter is to capture the effect of light; and my greatest joy as a painter is to accomplish that. Many thanks to those readers who have been following this blog since Day 1 (May 19, 2008). To those who are visiting for the first time today...Welcome, and thanks for dropping by!

Thursday, January 29, 2009

This has been one of those weeks of working away in the studio and not (yet) having much to show for the effort. In particular, I have been pulling out paintings that are "stuck in the middle" to see which ones can become finished artworks.

Today's posted image is a painting inspired by my trip to Italy in October 2007. Our tour group visited a farm called Masseria Carestia, a 100 acre property nestle in the rolling hills of southern Italy.

The drive into the complex is via a tunnel of stone archways thatched with thriving grapevines and ferns. The "house" consists of several buildings--the oldest dating from the 1400's--with adjacent vineyards, and multiple gardens abundant with a profusion of flowers: roses of all colors--red, palest pink, creamy white; dahlias, bougainvillea, an original mandarin orange tree with miniature fruits; lantara, with little flower clusters of one color encircling a central cluster of flowers of another color; and many other varieties of plants and flowers.

This painting portrays one of the gates leading to a large garden off the arched entryway. The iron work is truly ornate...and red! Although there are a lot of edges to define and refine, I am enthused about finishing this painting. When it's complete, I'll post the final version.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Last time I showed you this painting in-progress (on January 12), I had just the basic values laid down. I've started adding color to determine the "light of day" and the "temperature" of the painting--whether it will have a warmer or cooler feel to it.

While it's my natural tendency to heighten the contrasts, tighten up edges, and add more details, I'm rather liking the overall diffused softness of the image. My challenge, then, is to finish the painting without overworking it. Unlike Photoshop, there are no "un-do's" or "re-do's" in painting....Darn!

Monday, January 19, 2009

I enjoyed a very nice weekend, moseying around the Pena Blanca, Santo Domingo and Cochiti areas located between Albuquerque and Santa Fe. My artist friend Sondra Diepen and I spent several hours just driving down the road, stopping to take pictures whenever something caught our attention.

The day was warm and sunny, and artistically successful, too, as I took several photos that will lead to new paintings. Already I am working on one that will be on an 18" x 24" stretched canvas. I'll keep you posted as the painting develops.

I did work in the studio last Friday, completing the Blue Gate painting, featured as today's post. This was a fun piece to do and felt "right" from the start, even when doing the grisaille (see January 5 post). A few readers told me that they liked that version, before any color was added. It will be interesting to see what they (or you) think of the completed image. Please feel free to post your opinion below. Just click the "Comment" link just below this text.

Also, I will be leading a discussion, along with ShaRi Brooks, entitled "Creating an Internet Presence/Selling Your Artwork Online" at the Rainbow Artists meeting, this Wednesday, starting at 8pm. The event is free and open to the public, and being held at the Cesar Chavez Community Center, 7505 Kathryn SE, Albuquerque, (south on Louisiana, east on Kathryn). Free parking is available.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

For the past few weeks, I have been working on three paintings that all feature adobe walls: Blue Gate, Courtyard 2, and the painting posted today, Cactus Wall. I wasn't sure if this painting was going to come together, so I hadn't even shown it to you "in progress." Now here it is, all done, I'm happy to say.

I really enjoyed painting the dappled sunlight effect. I also found greater satisfaction in mixing greens to paint the cactus "leaves" than relying on the tube colors.

Some of you have emailed me about Blue Gate. Well, it's coming along, and I hope to have it posted next week as another finished painting. Thanks for the encouragement and comments.

Monday, January 12, 2009

My artist-friend Lisa Rivas (whom you met in my post on July 30, 2007) advised me to never throw away a painting. She told me to "…just put it aside and wait until you're ready to finish it."

Today's post may seem familiar to you, since I posted a version back on November 13, 2008. Well, I never was quite satisfied with that painting. So I decided to try a different format. Rather than a square, I chose a vertical 10" x 8."

What you are seeing today is a "tonal" underpainting of 4 basic values. Rather than a purist's grisaille in greys or a monochromatic rendition (different shades of one color), I just used the leftover paint on my palette and mixed up 4 colors--each a different value--to get the basic shapes and the lights and darks down. Since I laid on the paint rather thickly, it will take a day or two before I can begin laying in the true colors.

In the meantime, I hope to finish "Blue Gate"...or I'll be posting another painting that I've been working on, called "Cactus Wall." Either way, tune in on Thursday and see which painting came together.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Following an afternoon of painting, my first new piece of 2009 is starting to take shape, now with its basic colors in place. I'm pretty happy with the overall feeling of light and shadow, too. There are still some color refinements, paint layering, and details to work on; so, you'll see the final version next week.

Also, the painting's title is "Blue Gate." (I have no idea why I typed "Blue Door" in the last post....That's another painting, if it comes to fruition.)

Monday, January 5, 2009

Happy New Year, Dear Readers! I hope 2009 is off to a great beginning for all of you.

I was fortunate to spend four days playing and relaxing in Chama, New Mexico. Chama is just a few miles south of the Colorado border, where an accumulation of well over 6 feet of snow offered great snowshoeing and pristine winter vistas worthy of any "Scenic America" calendar.

Like those of you who are back in the office today, I'm back in the studio thinking about new paintings to start. Today's post shows the grisaille (done in burnt umber) of a new 8x10 painting, "Blue Gate", I've just begun. By Thursday, I intend to have all the basic colors in place.